Preparing Yourself for Entrepreneurship

MOSES WAIGANJOOUR upbringing and education system may have played a role in us having someone else deciding and telling us what to do.

As a result, a lot of young people venture into entrepreneurship with the employee mentality. There are ways to change the employee mindset into a business person mentality, and here are a few tips.

CREATIVITY

You must practise your creativity, view challenges with a different perspective, different approach of doing things better, and standing out. Do your research before asking for help.

As an entrepreneur, you will have to develop time management skills. Clients don’t feel valued if you don’t respect their time. Thinking is another thing you’ll need to practise, exploring effective and realistic solutions to challenges. Don’t rush into making uninformed decisions, seek opinions from someone more experienced than you.

PASSION

You should like what you are doing; you have to be passionate about what you do. This will give you the zeal of waking up every morning, as you won’t feel tired or bothered doing what you love. At times, business may not be all roses, especially for start-ups. It needs passion for one to persevere and build your business.

RIGHT CONTENT

The internet is easily accessed nowadays. Make use of the right information available. It should be a habit to ask Google or even use YouTube anytime you face challenges. Watch videos related to entrepreneurship, follow and like pages on social media e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Subscribe to entrepreneurs’ newsletters and online magazines.

Adopt a reading culture, and invest in books authored by efficacious entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Tony Robbins, Andrew Carnegie, Guy Kawasaki, Mark Cuban and Steve Wozniak, among others.

Dedicate at least 45 to 60 minutes per day to reading. We all don’t like change, it is very difficult. But you need to change your mindset, how you see and view things. Change your cliques. Identify business fora that you can join, mingle in the right circle and create networks.

CURIOUS MINDSET

Develop a curious mindset. Every time, get to know what is current in the industry as well as the business environment you are in. You should be on the lookout, being observant to know what is happening. Update yourself with what other industry players are doing, learn and understand about your field. Read the business websites of local and regional newspapers, and watch business news on TV, including business talk shows.

EQUIP SELF

Identify and acquire skills that you will need to build your business. Never stop learning, it is a continuous process. Enrol in short courses from time to time, get coaches and mentors who will build you. Self-confidence coupled with problem-solving abilities will make or break your business.

Don’t be afraid to spend money as you build your business, as the acquisition of knowledge will be beneficial at the end of the day, and you will get value for your money. Learning from others’ mistakes will help you not to make the same mistakes; it’s good to learn from those who have walked a similar path.

* Moses Waiganjo (PhD) is a lecturer at the International University of Management’s Nkurenkuru campus. He writes in his personal capacity.